NYLO Las Colinas opened its doors in July with a lovely ribbon-cutting ceremony, after lots of anticipation and a whole lotta slowdown with the chain's expansion. Better late than never on this one, we suppose  the NYLO chain has been a fave of HC's since the first property opened in Dallas in winter of 2007, and its middle child was born in Warwick, Rhode Island and now Irving, Texas (Las Colinas) boasts the third property in the still-young chain.

So, how does property number three appear to be faring? So far, so good  at least according to the lone review of the place on TripAdvisor.

Ah, yes, it is Monday, we're all in a poopy mood  but what a glorious day! NYLO number three opens today!

Today marks the grand opening of NYLO Las Colinas (in Irving, Texas  just outside of Dallas) and, according to the website, it seems you can even rest your head on one of those brand new NYLO pillows this evening: the hotel's website is showing availability starting at $139.00 per night (a special opening rate, down from what appears to be the standard rate of $159).

Or, if you're up for it, you can book yourself a sweet themed Dallas package. For $186, the Explore Dallas gives you tickets to the zoo, museum or aquarium and a 4:00 pm checkout; For $176, the Fit For You package includes a free breakfast, transportation to and daily passes for LA Fitness.

Check out other package rates and availability here; a big ol' congrats to NYLO for getting their third hotel open, even if they're a little bit behind schedule on the whole expansion thing. Slow and steady wins the race!

We were surprised when we heard the Dallas suburbs were getting another NYLO before anyone else, but we're also surprised (in a good way) to hear that the
NYLO Dallas/Las Colinas (yes, that's the clumsy official name) is not only about to open, but is also going to be really green.

NYLO has signed a deal with TXU Energy which makes it the first hotel in the area to purchase 100% of their electricity from a certified renewable energy source. They've also been green during the building process: they used construction techniques which "reduced the need for excessive materials" (we hope they still used enough, though) and they've installed hi-tech electrical and plumbing systems which are aimed at lowering energy consumption.

They're also doing the "little green things" that add up to a lot: air-conditioning turns off automatically if you leave your room, and the preservative-free toiletries are provided in recycled bottles.

It's good to see things on track after NYLO Las Colinas had a setback last year when funding (and therefore, construction) slowed down for a while, but now they're ready to open soon. Book your $139 room for July 27 while you still can.

Good news! Our fave budget-chic brand, NYLO, is opening up its third property in Irving, Texas (Las Colinas  in the Dallas area) on July 27th. The brand's expansion has been going pretty slowly since the first property in Plano, Texas opened up in December of '07, but we'll take what we can get here and remain hopeful that NYLO and their spinoff brand, XP, will pull through and keep opening up hotels as planned.

We dropped in on the NYLO site today and noticed NYLO Las Colinas is taking rezzies starting on July 27th (that's a Monday), and they're running a special opening rate promo with rates down as low as $139.00 until September 7 (when they'll go up to around $159-ish).

Check out the hotel (and the sweet-ass pool with an outdoor bar) here, and cross your fingers for no delays on this bad boy.

For now, the Dallas/Fort Worth area -- who, it seems, is always one of the first cities in the country to see properties from new chains -- will have to make do with their sparkling new Alofts to get their Starwood fixes for now.

Element Irving, which we had originally heard would be opening on November 1st (this Saturday), is delayed. Per their website, the first Element in Texas won't be offering up its eco-conscious rooms until February 19th, 2009. While we'd like to think the folks out there changed their minds about the decidedly blah design and wanted to some extra time to jazz it up a bit, it's probably just another hotel construction delay.

Meanwhile, Aloft Las Colinas is officially up and running, though there are no reviews on TripAdvisor just yet and we haven't heard much about it (tipsters?). Aloft Plano, however, has us scratching our heads: last we checked, the hotel still seemed on track for its November 20th opening. Then we hopped on over to their website and saw they were taking reservations for arrival on or after November 13th; then we called, where an outgoing voicemail informed us the hotel would be "opening October 2008." So, Aloft Plano is, er, coming soon-ish.

You may remember the Dallas 'hood Las Colinas if you're up on your pop culture references: many folks say LC was the inspiration (and at least the partial filming location) for the suburban corporate town in the 1999 oh-so-relateable movie Office Space.

Accordingly, Starwood has put an Aloft there: it's got lots of office space (hehe), plenty of casual dining chain restaurants in which the waitstaff dons suspenders accented with pieces of flair, and there are plenty of business travelers going in and outta there.

Today, Aloft Las Colinas is open. It's the first Texas location of the Aloft/Element family to get up and running, and (like a Las Colinas mustang) it has pulled ahead of the rest of the planned Dallas metro area properties. Aloft Plano debuts November 20th, Element Irving (pretty much in Las Colinas, actually) will open up on November 1st, and Aloft Frisco and Aloft Grapevine will be arriving a little later in the year.

While we were busy blogging about Starwood's Aloft, we almost missed the hotel chain's other swiftly replicating twin, element. This time it's their location in Irving, Texas, officially opening on November 1st.

Decidely blah in style next to its clubby sibling (case in point their Lexington, MA location) we'll be watching to see if they administer a bit of color-correcting to what has proven to be some dreary, minimalist decor. Lively up yourself!

Why Irving? It's a smart real estate decision, sandwiched between the sister cities of Dallas and Forth Worth. It's a mecca for sports junkies... and museums. There are three alone dedicated to the history of aviation, go figyuh. It has the The Kimball Art Museum, and The Sid Richardson Collection of Western Art (home to many Remingtons).

Las Colinas has been a breeding ground as of late for these new types of boutique-y chain brands aimed at business travelers since the community is home to 2,000 companies and serves as the global HQs for a few Fortune 500 companies. Already, Las Colinas will be getting an Aloft and a NYLO.

The Hotel Indigo Las Colinas will feature design elements such as guestrooms with hardwood flooring and spa-inspired showers and amenities such as a fitness studio, hotel bar, a 24-hour business center and meeting space for business functions or special events. Complimentary high-speed wireless Internet access will be available throughout the hotel.

The Crowne Plaza Las Colinas will offer more than 8,000 square feet of meeting and banquet space and include a restaurant, lounge, business center and gift shop.

Both hotels will have separate entrances yet will share a fitness center and swimming pool. We're guessing there should be some rate differences as well but no word on what those will be. The hotels (hotel?) will open in 2010.

NYLO Hotels, having opened in Plano, Texas and with their eyes on opening another location in Warwick, R.I. this summer have announced a third location in Irving, Texas.

The five-story, 200-room hotel will be located in Las Colinas, an award-winning master-planned community ten minutes from the Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport and fifteen minutes from downtown Dallas.

NYLO Las Colinas will feature many of the same amenities and services as the NYLO property such as The Loft restaurant and bar, NYLO Wear uniforms by Daniel Vosovic, local artwork, free WiFi, Pure guestrooms for allergy sufferers and green/eco-friendly materials.

And it looks like NYLO will run into more Aloft Hotels competition here as the new Starwood brand will have a location in Las Colinas as well. Already, there is an Aloft under construx in Plano. We had no idea the suburbs of Dallas were so popular. Hotel brand smack-down!

[Editor's Note: Hotel Maven bbayne is back with a look at a couple hotels in the Lone Star State. He gives us the background story on two Texas hotels that make his heart grow fonder.]

Ben Carpenter was a young WW II lieutenant stationed there with the 124th Calvary. Their mission was to free Burma from Japanese occupation. As part of the 75th Infantry Battalion (idolized in the 1962 Jeff Chandler movie "Merrill's Marauders"), Texan Carpenter earned a Silver Star for gallantry in action. During his time there, he developed a keen appreciation of the art and culture of Burma, which is reflected in the Omni Mandalay at Las Colinas in Irving.

Ben Carpenter and his son John set out to build this property in 1983. Its fountains, artwork, and gardens reflect the splendor of the Mandalay memorialized in the Kipling poem "The Road to Mandalay". Set in the quiet corner of a financial center that is home to Exxon/Mobil and Nokia, this hotel is as ideal for a conference as a solo guest. Courteous doorman greet you on exit and entrance. Towering rooms boast generous windows that bring in the space and skyline of Dallas.

It all started in Mandalay(don't all roads lead there)? There, a Texan war hero received the inspiration for an American hotel- Dallas' Omni Mandalay. That's right, this place is a ho' down, Burmese style.